1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to locking electronic devices. More particularly, this invention relates to virtually locking an electronic device (e.g., a portable computer) such that the locked device is still not usable when the locking mechanism is compromised.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is known, before computers became prevalent, sensitive information was typically stored in a filing cabinet which could be locked when the custodian was absent. When computers were first invented, they were large machines housed in separate rooms and were accessible only to those with specialized knowledge and access to those computer rooms, making security more or less inherent in the cumbersome nature of the large computer systems.
As the size of computers shrinks, the computers become more and more portable. This allows a computer to be easily carried around, thus allowing more people to access the computer. Moreover, as the portable computers have entered homes and business offices or cubicles, and as they have become more and more user-friendly, they can be accessed by many people with knowledge of standard software. These factors typically make it impossible to completely control access to a computer.
However, as the use of personal computers and other electronic devices proliferates, many of today""s personal or business computers also store sensitive information. This makes it even more necessary and important to control access of a computer system.
Prior art techniques have been proposed to provide computer security. A typical prior art technique uses a physical lock that may be inserted into a standardized locking apertures or slots in the cover of a computer or other electronic device to secure the cover to the chassis. This locking mechanism is to prevent unauthorized access to the internal components of the computer or electronic device. In addition, the locking mechanism can also be physically attached to a physical location, thus preventing the entire computer from being removed from the location. The locking mechanism can also be electrically controlled to lock or unlock the target device.
Another prior art technique is to insert an anchored lock (e.g., Kingston Lock) into a lock receptacle of a computer or electronic device to lock the target computer or electronic device at the physical location. The lock is anchored by a cable or tether at the physical location. The lock may also be used to lock a docking station used to dock a portable computer. In this way, both the computer and the docking station are locked.
These prior art solutions, however, bear disadvantages. For example, the anchoring cable or tether can be cut loose so that the locked device can still be taken away. As a further example, the lock itself may be destroyed or tampered to free the locked device.
Another disadvantage is that the locks only function passively. They do not generate any alarm (or security breach notification) when the locks are being destroyed and their locked devices are being taken away.
One feature of the present invention is to effectively lock an electronic device.
Another feature of the present invention is to effectively lock an electronic device such that the locked device is still not usable even when the locking mechanism is compromised.
A further feature of the present invention is to effectively lock an electronic device such that alarm is sent when the locking mechanism is compromised.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a locking system for securing an electronic device includes a locking signal transmitter anchored at a physical location away from the electronic device to transmit a locking signal. A receiver resides in the electronic device to receive the locking signal. A controller is coupled to the receiver and circuitry of the electronic device to virtually lock the electronic device when the receiver keeps receiving the locking signal, and to disable the electronic device from being accessed after the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period.
Alternatively, the locking signal transmitter can be fastened to a movable object and the electronic device can also be mobile when locked.
As an another alternative, the controller can also cause an alarm signal to be sent when the receiver has stopped receiving the locking signal for a predetermined time period. Alternatively, the alarm signal may also be sent from the locking signal transmitter. In this case, the controller causes a locking confirmation signal to be sent back to the locking signal transmitter when the receiver receives the locking signal. The locking signal transmitter generates the alarm signal when it does not receive the locking confirmation signal for a predetermined time period.
Moreover, the locking signal transmitter may also unlock the electronic device by generating an unlocking signal. In this case, the controller unlocks the electronic device when the receiver receives the unlocking signal. Alternatively, the locking and unlocking initiation is done by an activation signal applied to the controller.